We Can Learn About God Through Science as Well as Scripture
As we learn more and more about our universe through science and observation, the theories and scientific laws can not only support what we see in Scripture, but it can also extend our understanding of the nature of God. This does not contradict the revelation that we have in Scripture, but it can fill in details about the nature of our Creator and how our Creator has chosen to work in our universe. The Bible itself declares how nature is a source of revelation about God, for example in Romans 1:20 and Psalms 19:1.
An Example with the General Theory of Relativity
Einstein’s general theory of relativity was the theoretical foundation of the Big Bang theory. It is also the theory that explains that the Big Bang was not only the beginning of the universe, but it was the beginning of space and time itself. Because as finite creatures we live within space and time, then we really cannot fully comprehend what it means to say something exists beyond space and time. But through combining general relativity with Biblical passages like Genesis 1:1, we have the added insight from science that the Bible is telling us that the creation event was not just a creation of matter but was about the creation of space and time itself. This should only bring greater praise and wonder for our Creator God who is even beyond space and time itself.
Analogies with Archaeology
In a similar way that science can help us know more about God and get greater clarity about the meaning of the Bible, archaeological discoveries have also helped us to have greater clarity about Biblical passages. Some of the example of archaeology giving us deeper insights into Biblical passages include the following.
- Better Understanding of Biblical Language: When the King James Bible was translated in 1611, there were a number of words that were found only in the Hebrew Old Testament, but nowhere else. Since these words were not found in any other literature, the translators had to guess their meaning from the context. However, now with the discoveries of archaeology, many of these words have been found in documents in other ancient cultures. This has aided tremendously in Bible translation. No longer do Bible translators have to make an educated guess about the meaning of these words.
- Better Understanding of Biblical Culture: Israel, located between Egypt and Mesopotamia, was at the crossroads in the ancient Near East. Therefore, they were exposed to the culture, laws, politics and religion of many other nations in the ancient world. When we understand more about these nations and their customs it sheds light on many of the practices of the biblical characters as well as the motivations of their behavior. The reason, or reasons, as to why the characters of Scripture made certain decisions now becomes clearer when we understand the world in which they lived.
- Better Understanding of Common Life in Biblical Times: Archaeology can shed light on the daily life of those living during biblical times. We can better understand such things as what the ancient peoples looked like, what was their average height and weight, what they wore, what their dwelling places were like, how they kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer and how their houses were illuminated with light. These people, as well as the conditions in which they lived, now become more real to us through the discoveries of archaeology.
Better Understanding of Biblical Expressions: Certain expressions, which were hard to understand, have now become clear because of the work of the archaeologist. For example, the Bible calls the city of Hazor “the head of all the kingdoms.” We read about this in the Book of Joshua:
Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. (Joshua 11:10 NKJV)
When the city of Hazor was excavated, its size was found to be approximately two hundred acres. Other large cities of Palestine were only about twenty acres in size. This helps us understand why Hazor was called the head of all the kingdoms.